San Diego Symphony Orchestra Association

The San Diego Symphony Orchestra is dedicated to presenting symphonic music at the highest level possible, as an accessible and inspirational art form through innovative programming and a strong commitment to arts education. The Symphony's vision is to be recognized as a world-class orchestra and as a major contributor to the quality of life in the San Diego region. Throughout the Symphony's history, thousands of people, young and old, have experienced the joy of live concerts at the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Music Center, Summer Pops specials on San Diego's beautiful waterfront, and music education programming at a variety of community venues throughout the region. The San Diego Symphony Orchestra is the oldest performing orchestra in the state and reflects the diversity of the region by offering a wide range of concert experiences. Every October through May, classical music lovers from all over the county attend our Jacobs Masterworks concert series. Named in honor of generous local philanthropists Joan and Irwin Jacobs, this series presents the best classical repertoire from the last three centuries in concert performance. The San Diego Symphony Orchestra's Summer Pops and Winter Pops Series (City Lights) feature modern hits and special musical guests throughout the year. Highlights of the Pops programs include the Holiday Pops and the military Home for the Holidays performances in December and the Star Spangled Pops performance in Summer. Throughout the year, San Diego schoolchildren regularly enjoy concerts made possible by support from individuals, foundations and corporations who share the Symphony's commitment to music education for all young people. These programs have become even more important, as budget cuts have eliminated most, if not all, arts education in San Diego schools. The San Diego Symphony Orchestra is committed to providing San Diego youth with an outlet of music education despite recent limitations. As the San Diego Symphony Orchestra concludes its 105th year and continues into a new century of performance and community engagement, we will pursue musical excellence, bring classical music into the community, and inspire future generations of audiences. We will do this by: 1) presenting the best classical music, performed by some of the world's finest musicians; 2) working hard to maintain the organization's fiscal strength and stability; 3) increasing public awareness of the Symphony and its community programming through ambitious marketing; 4) expanding youth education programs; 5) increasing the number of commissioning and recording projects.

In order to achieve these ambitious goals, the San Diego Symphony Orchestra will implement effective marketing and development strategies. On a broad scale, we hope to reach the larger community of San Diego by offering an extensive, yet balanced program of well-known Jacobs' Masterworks concerts and more contemporary pop works. We will work closely with concert promoters to attain the most promising up-and-coming talent. Past collaborative success with children's poet Jack Prelutsky and composer Lucas Richman resulted in the recording of an original commissioned children's work entitled "Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant." The San Diego Symphony Orchestra is excited to further bolster its creative legacy within the San Diego community, and will continue to commission original pieces for world-debut performance by emerging and veteran composers. The implementation of aggressive direct mail campaigns will continue county-wide and reach over two-thousand homes a year. On a smaller scale, we will reach out to the individual youth of San Diego by sponsoring schoolchildren to attend our Symphony Education and Outreach programming during the 2016-2017 concert season. Through concerts featuring a carefully selected repertoire of classical music, performed in collaboration with local arts organizations, students will increase their knowledge and appreciation of symphonic music, prominent composers, and the relationship between music and other art forms. Providing free Berton Family Young People's Concert tickets to low-income students will enhance the San Diego Symphony Orchestra's reputation as a leader in arts education and raise local awareness to the need for more comprehensive music education programming. Special Symphony fundraisers advertised for and held at local tourist destinations, like the San Diego Zoo's "Symphony on the Wild Side," the U.S.S. Midway's "Symphony for Freedom" and the Del Mar Racetrack's "Kentucky Derby - Run for the Roses," bring in first-time donors whose giving interests are cross-genre. Our Special Events team has experience targeting the correct markets for these events and plays a crucial part in the success of the fundraisers.

The San Diego Symphony Orchestra's endowment continues to expand thanks to local individual, corporate and foundation donors. Our proudest capital achievement was the recent acquisition of the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Music Center, the Symphony's performance venue since the mid-1980s, for perpetuity. The Centennial Campaign, established in honor of the Symphony's one-hundredth year of performance in San Diego, continues to grow the funds necessary for the Symphony to sustain the high quality of its musical presentations into the next century. Ticket purchases alone are not enough to maintain our innovative programming, commitment to arts education, and variety of music series - all of which are San Diego Symphony Orchestra hallmarks. And of course, none of this would be possible without the tireless efforts of the Symphony's staff and musicians. San Diego Symphony Orchestra musicians are some of the most talented in the country, and willingly give back to the community with their time and talents. Besides performing during the Jacobs Masterworks, Summer Pops and Winter Pops (City Lights) concert seasons, musicians serve in various capacities as local music teachers, lecturers and mentors. Their musical expertise and generosity is unparalleled. A dedicated team of 50 Symphony staff, spread across Development, Special Events, Marketing, Production and Operations Departments, are also committed to, and supportive of, the arts in San Diego County. The San Diego Symphony Orchestra's Board of Directors is an important resource that has been responsible for delegating appropriate funding to the campaigns and programs that need the most financial support. Their collective experience as long-standing community leaders, managing partners and concerned arts patrons is invaluable.

At a time when so many symphony orchestras are struggling financially, the San Diego Symphony Orchestra has just completed its most successful season ever. The Symphony attributes its success to its talented and adaptable musicians, world-renowned guest artists, a variety of wide-reaching community programs and a strong base of donors and subscribers. Another spectacular concert season has already been set in motion for 2016-2017. Guest artists will include Gil Shaham, Itzhak Perlman and Lang Lang.
At a time when little to no emphasis is placed on music programming for elementary students, we believe that the Symphony's efforts to preserve children's attendance numbers this upcoming 2016-2017 concert season will boost community awareness and demand for more organized educational endeavors. The Symphony is currently submitting grant requests to local corporations and family foundations, requesting funds to sponsor deserving under-represented San Diego schoolchildren's tickets to Symphony Education and Outreach programming.
A recent project initiated by the Education & Outreach department was the commissioning of musical work "Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant," based on the poetry of the nation's first Children's Poet Laureate, Jack Prelutsky. Composed by Lucas Richman, "Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant" consists of 17 short musical pieces that represent each poem in Mr. Prelutsky's poetry collection of the same name.
To facilitate donation activity, a new and more user-friendly Symphony website was created to simplify the giving process and more clearly explain donor benefits. An e-mail newsletter that showcases new and exciting ways to both experience and contribute to Symphony efforts is currently sent to all requesting concert subscribers. Convenient links to the Symphony webpage are always included in these e-newsletters for use by potential donors.
As the San Diego Symphony Orchestra begins another exciting concert season, we can only hope that the generated momentum of enthusiasm and community generosity will continue into the next one hundred years.